Hundreds of people protested in Biddeford, Maine, following the killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. The incident has sparked controversy due to inconsistent narratives from federal officials regarding the circumstances of the deadly encounter.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated an ICE officer shot Durán Guerrero ‘fearing for public safety’ after officers observed the home of a person suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. The DHS indicated that the vehicle attempted to flee when ICE officers tried to stop it, resulting in the officer firing his weapon. This account contrasts with earlier comments by Maine Sen. Angus King, who relayed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s information that Durán Guerrero attempted to use his vehicle as a weapon, prompting the officers to act.
The shooting took place while officers were attempting to serve an arrest warrant, although Durán Guerrero was not the intended target, according to Sen. King. Durán Guerrero, age 26, has been identified by the Colombian Embassy.
“These people are killers and they must leave our state now,” protest organizer Todd Chretien said. Protesters demanded accountability as they assembled outside an ICE detention center in Scarborough, displaying signs such as ‘Stop the murder’ and ‘End this terror.’
The shooting of Durán Guerrero marks the second use of deadly force by ICE in a week, amid questions surrounding the details of the incident. There is concern over the lack of body camera footage leaving unanswered questions. The proximity of the officer to the vehicle, orders given to Durán Guerrero, and how the public was threatened are unclear.
Senator Susan Collins reported that the DHS Inspector General and FBI are investigating the shooting. Bullet holes were visible in Durán Guerrero’s car windshield as shown in photos, and a pending investigation seeks to clarify the circumstances.
Video from a nearby business camera shows a white car attempting to maneuver near an intersection, after which two officers appear to drag a limp body from the vehicle. Daniel Boucher, a local resident, described hearing gunshots before witnessing the aftermath. Boucher recalls the officer stating Durán Guerrero tried to run him over.
Durán Guerrero is survived by his wife and daughter. Advocacy groups have confirmed his authorization to work in the U.S.
Mary Hayes, a resident near the incident, described an emotional scene with Durán Guerrero’s wife grieving over his body. “I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Hayes said.
Last week, another shooting in Houston involved an ICE officer fatally shooting 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. These incidents underscore the enforcement tactics of the Trump administration’s deportation agenda. Recent figures showed over 10,000 arrests in five days at the end of June, indicating a surge in enforcement activities nationwide.